Method of making collar

ABSTRACT

A collar, for a plural-cell duct, is formed by punching generally-aligned slots in the opposite edges of an elongated piece of sheet metal stock, punching those slots so they are elongated and narrow and so the inner ends thereof extend toward but stop short of each other to define one end of a blank which remains attached to the piece of sheet metal stock by a narrow connecting portion, punching a notch in the one end of the blank adjacent the outer end of one of the slots and thus adjacent one edge of the blank, forming an offset at the one edge of the blank and displacing that offset outwardly of the outer surface of the blank and extending that offset along the one edge of the blank from the notch to the opposite end of the blank, forming arcuate portions at the opposite edges of the blank which have radii of curvature approaching the radius of curvature to be given the collar while leaving the central portion of the blank essentially flat, severing the connecting portion to free the blank from the piece of sheet metal stock, bending the central portion of the blank inwardly and moving the opposite edge of the blank toward the one edge and into position in engagement with the inner surface of the offset at the one edge of the blank, and welding the outer surface of the opposite edge of the blank to the inner surface of the offset to permanently convert the blank into a collar of cylindrical configuration.

United States Patent [19 1 Mueller [451 Feb. 26, 1974 METHOD OF MAKING COLLAR [75] Inventor: Louis E. Mueller, Tenton, Mo.

[73] Assignee: Mac-Fab Products, lnc., St. Louis,

[22] Filed: Apr. 13, 1972 [21] Appl. No.2 243,648

[52] US. Cl 113/1 G, 29/150, 72/405 [51] Int. Cl B21d 51/10 [58] Field of Search 113/1 G, 7 A, l R; 29/150,

Primary ExaminerRichard .l. l-lerbst Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Rogers, Ezell & Eilers [57] ABSTRACT A collar, for a plural-cell duct, is formed by punching generally-aligned slots in the opposite edges of an elongated piece of sheet metal stock, punching those slots so they are elongated and narrow and so the inner ends thereof extend toward but stop short of each other to define one end of a blank which remains attached to the piece of sheet metal stock by a narrow connecting portion, punching a notch in the one end of the blank adjacent the outer end of one of the slots and thus adjacent one edge of the blank, forming an offset at the one edge of the blank and displacing that offset outwardly of the outer surface of the blank and extending that offset along the one edge of the blank from the notch to the opposite end of the blank, forming arcuate portions at the opposite edges of the blank which have radii of curvature approaching the radius of curvature to be given the collar while leaving the central portion of the blank essentially flat, severing the connecting portion to free the blank from the piece of sheet metal stock, bending the central portion of the blank inwardly and moving the opposite edge of the blank toward the one edge and into position in engagement with the inner surface of the offset at the one edge of the blank, and welding the outer surface of the opposite edge of the blank to the inner surface of the offset to permanently convert the blank into a collar of cylindrical configuration.

15 Claims, 26 Drawing Figures PAIENTED FEBZS i974 SHEU 1 BF 7 PATENTEUFEBZBIQ" I 3.793.971

SHEET 6 OF 7 l WE LDER POWER SUPPLY FIG/9.

METHOD OF MAKING COLLAR CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION The method of this application is preferably used to form the collars disclosed in U. S. Pat. application Ser. No. 243,792 filed Apr. 13, 1972, by Richard A. Klinkman et al. on Plural-Cell Duct.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Collars are customarily provided for ducts which are embedded in floors, such as concrete floors. Those collars are intended to permit cables or conductors to be led upwardly out of those ducts and suitably connected to outlets, where those cables or conductors are intended to supply power, or to jacks or the like whre those cables or conductors are parts of communication systems. Those collars usually are made from castings; and those castings usually are light in weight and made from relatively-weak metals. As a result, those collars are relatively fragile, and frequently are broken and rendered useless by the rough treatment which they receive at job sites. Consequently, it would be desirable to provide a collar which was made from sturdy sheet metal and thus would be able to withstand rough treatment at a job site. The method provided by the present invention makes it possible to form a collar from sturdy sheet metal; and it is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a method of making a collar, for ducts which are embedded in floors, from sturdy sheet metal.

Other and further objects and advantages of thee present invention should become apparent from an examination of the drawing and accompanying description.

In the drawing and accompanying description a preferred method of the present invention is shown and described but it is to be understood that the drawing and accompanying description are for the purpose of illustration only and that the invention will be defined by the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING In the drawing,

FIG. 1 is an end elevational view of one preferred embodiment of collar that is made by the method of the present invention,

FIG. 2 is a sectional view, on the scale of FIG. 1, through the collar of FIG. 1, and it is taken along the plane indicated by the line 22 in FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a perspective view, on a smaller scale, of an elongated piece of sheet metal stock, and it shows the results of a number of operations which have been performed on that piece of sheet metal stock to form a collar similar to the collar of FIG. 1,

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of part of a punch press which has a number of punches and dies therein and which performs the operations indicated by FIG.

FIG. 5 is an end elevational view, on a larger scale, of one of the punches and, one of the dies of FIG. 4, and it is taken along the plane indicated by the line 5-5 in FIG. 4,

FIG. 6 is a perspective view, on the scale of FIG. 5, of the punch shown in FIG. 5,

FIG. 7 is a sectional view, approximately on the scale of FIG. 5, and it is taken along the plane indicated by the line 7-7 in FIG. 4,

FIG. 8 is a sectional view, on a still larger scale, through a portion of the die shown in FIG. 5, and it is taken along the plane indicated by the line 8-8 in FIG. 5,

FIG. 9 is a sectional view, on the scale of FIG. 8, through the portion of the die shown in FIG. 8, and it is taken along the plane indicated by the line 99 in FIG. 8,

FIG. 10 is a further sectional view, on the scale of FIG. 8, through the portion of the die shown in FIG. 8, and it is taken along the plane indicated by the line 10-10 in FIG. 8,

FIG. 11 is a sectional view, on the scale of FIG. 5, through one of the punches and one of the dies of FIG. 4, and it is taken along the plane indicated by the line 11-11 in FIG. 4,

FIG. 12 is a sectional view, on the scale of FIG. 5, through the punch and die of FIG. 11, and it is taken along the broken plane indicated by the broken line 12-12 in FIG. 7,

FIG. 13 is a sectional view, on the scale of FIG. 5, through a further punch and die of FIG. 4, and it is taken along the plane indicated by the line 13-13 in FIG. 4,

FIG. 14 is a sectional view, on the scale of FIG. 5, which is taken along the plane indicated by the line 13-13 in FIG. 4, but it shows the punch and die of FIG. 13 in closed position,

FIG. 15 is an end elevational view, on the scale of FIG. 5, of cams, cam followers and a cylinder of FIG. 4, it is taken along the plane indicated by the line 15-15 in FIG. 4, and the left-hand side of FIG. 15 portrays one of the cam followers in closed position while the right-hand side of FIG. 15 shows the other of the cam followers in open position,

FIG. 16 is a sectional view, on the scale of FIG. 5, through the cylinder of FIG. 15 and through blocks and a die adjacent that cylinder, and it is taken along the plane indicated by the line 16-16 in FIG. 15,

FIG. 17 is a sectional view, on the scale of FIG. 5, through blocks and another of the dies of FIG. 4, and it is taken along the broken plane indicated by the broken line 17-17 in FIG. 7,

FIG. 18 is a perspective view, on the scale of FIG. 5,

of an aligning device used with one of the blocks of FIG. 16,

FIG. 19 is a front elevational view, on the scale of FIG. 4, of a clamping and welding device which clamps and welds the collar of FIG. 1,

FIG. 20 is a side elevational view, on the scale of FIG. 5, of the clamping and welding device of FIG. 19,

FIG. 21 is a front elevational view, on a larger scale, of the mandrel, clamping jaws and electrode of the clamping and welding device of FIG. 20,

FIG. 22 is a sectional view, on a still larger scale, through part of the structure of FIG. 21, and it is taken along the plane indicated by the line 22-22 in FIG. 21,

FIG. 23 is an end elevational view, on the scale of FIG. 21, of a punch and die which perform ear-forming operations on the collar of FIG. 1, and the left-hand side of FIG. 23 shows a punch and the die in open position while the right-hand side of FIG. 23 shows a punch and the die in closed position,

FIG. 24 is a sectional view, on the scale of FIG. 21,

through the punches and the die of FIG. 23, and it is taken along the broken plane indicated by the broken line 24-24 in FIG. 23,

FIG. 25 is a broken side elevational view, on the scale of FIG. 21, of part of the structure of FIG. 23 before an ear is formed in the collar of FIG. 1, and it is taken along the plane indicated by the line 2525 in FIG. 23, and

FIG. 26 is a broken partially-sectioned elevational view of the opposite side of the structure of FIG. 25, and it is taken along the plane indicated by the line 26-26 in FIG. 23.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to FIGS. 1-3, the numeral 36 generally denotes one preferred embodiment of collar that is made by the method of the present invention. That collar is a right circular cylinder, and it has an offset 38 which is defined by an outwardly-directed shoulder 39. As indicated particularly by FIG. 2, the offset 38 extends along almost the full length of the collar 36; but aa notch 41 is provided at the lower end of that offset, as shown particularly by FIG. 2. An abutment 42 is punched out of the wall of the collar 36, as shown particularly by FIGS. l-3; and that abutment is spaced approximately 180 in the circumferential direction from the offset 38. The lower edge of the abutment 42 is at the same level as the lower edge of the offset 38, as shown particularly by FIG. 2. Slots 44 and 46 are formed in the lower edge of the collar 36; and each of those slots is displaced from the abutment 42 by an angle of less than 90 in the circumferential direction, as shown particularly by FIG. 1. An ear 48 extends inwardly of the collar 36, adjacent the upper end of that collar, as shown particularly by FIG. 2. That ear is displaced approximately 90 from the abutment 42 and from the offset 38 in the circumferential direction. That ear has an opening 56 therein, and one edge of that opening is immediately adjacent the inner surface of the collar 36. The numeral 50 denotes a second ear which extends inwardly of the collar 36 adjacent the upper end of that collar. An opening 58 is formed in the ear 50; and one edge of that opening is immediately adjacent the inner surface of the collar 36. The numeral 54 denotes a generally semi-circular opening which is formed in the wall of the collar 36 at the time the ear 50 is formed, as shown by FIGS. 2 and 24. A similar generally semi-circular opening, not shown, is formed in the wall of the collar 36 at the time the ear 48 is formed. The numeral 60 denotes a number of dimples which are provided in the portion of the collar 36 which underlies the offset 38, as shown by FIG. 2.

The numeral 62 in FIG. 3 denotes an elongated relatively-narrow piece of sheet metal stock which can be formed into a number of blanks and then converted into a corresponding number of collars 36. Initially, two elongated, inwardly-extending narrow slots 63 are formed in the opposite edges of that piece of sheet metal stock to define one end of a blank 67 which remains attached to that piece of sheet metal stock by a connecting portion 65. Simultaneously, the abutment 42 is formed, the slots 44 and 46 are formed, the notch 41 is formed, and the openings 56 and 58 are formed. Next, the offset 38 and the shoulder 39 at the inner edge of that offset are formed, the dimples 60 are formed, and the sides of the blank 67 are given a slight curvature. Subsequently, those sides are bent to have radii of curvature which approach the radius of curvature to be given the collar 36 but the central area of the blank is left essentially flat. Finally, the connecting portion 65 is severed to free the blank from the piece of sheet metal stack; and then the central portion of that blank is bent into cylindrical form and the dimpled edge of that blank is moved into engagement with the inner surface of the offset 38. These various operations are performed by the punches, blocks and dies which are shown by FIGS. 4l8.

In FIG. 4, the numeral 64 denotes a stationary part of a punch press which has a female-type dovetail guide 66 therein. A supporting plate 68, which has a male-type dovetail, not shown, on the bottom thereof, is set atop the part 64 with that male-type dovetail disposed within the female-type dovetail guide 66. A plate 70 overlies the plate 68, and the former plate supports the stationary part 72 of a die. That stationary part includes a long narrow recess 74 with a short narrow arm 76, includes small-diameter cylindrical recesses 78 and 80, includes a long narrow recess 82 with a short narrow arm 84, includes a wide recess 86 adjacent the outer end of the recess 82, and includes an upwardly-extending projection 88 adjacent the inner ends of the recesses 74 and 82 all as indicated by FIGS. 5 and 7. As shown by FIG. 7, the long narrow recess 74 is aligned with the long narrow recess 82. A trough 90 extends downwardly and to the right from the die 72; and that trough will receive the scrap which is forced downwardly through the long narrow recess 74 and its short narrow arm 76, the small-diameter cylindrical recesses 78 and 80, the long narrow recess 82 and its short narrow arm 84, and the notch 86. That trough will direct that scrap toward a suitable bin or 9 box for scrap.

The numeral 92 denotes the movable part of the punch press; and that movable part overlies, and is in register with, the stationary part 64. A platen 94 is secured to the movable part 92; and that platen supports the plate-like upper part 96 of a punch 98 which is held in register with the die 72. That punch has a long, narrow portion 100 with a short narrow arm 102, smalldiameter cylindrical portions 104 and 106, a long narrow portion 108 with a short narrow arm 110, and a wide portion 112 depending downwardly from the plate-like upper part 96. That punch also has a cavity 114 therein adjacent the inner ends of the long narrow portions 100 and 108. The long narrow portion 100 is mounted so it is in register with the long narrow recess 74, the short narrow arm 102 is mounted so it is in register with the short narrow arm 76 of the recess 74, the small-diameter cylindrical portion 104 is mounted so it is in register with the small diameter cylindrical recess 78, the small diameter cylindrical portion 106 is mounted so it is in register with the small diameter cylindrical recess 80, the long narrow portion 108 is mounted so it is in register with the long narrow recess 82, the short narrow arm 110 is mounted so it is in register with the short narrow arm 84 of the recess 82, and the wideportion 112 is mounted so it is in register with the wide recess 86. The cavity 114 is larger than, but

is mounted so it is inregister with, the projection 88 on the die 72.

When the punch 98 is forced downwardly into engagement with the die 72, the long narrow portion 100 and the short narrow arm 102 will coact with the long narrow recess 74 and the short narrow arm 76 to form the left-hand slot 63 and the slot 46, the small diameter cylindrical portion 104 will coact with the small diameter cylindrical recess 78 to form the hole 56, the small diameter cylindrical portion 106 will coact with the small diameter cylindrical recess 80 to form the hole 58, the long narrow portion 108 and the short narrow arm 1 will coact with the long narrow recess 82 and the short narrow arm 84 to form the right-hand slot 63 and the slot 44, the wide portion 112 will coact with the wide recess 86 to form thenotch 41, and the projection 88 will coact with the cavity 1 14 to form the abutment 42. This means that in one operation, a blank 67 is formed and is provided with the notch 41, the abutment 42 and the slots 44; and that the next-succeeding blank has the openings 56 and 58 formed therein.

The numeral 116 denotes sturdy cylindrical bars which extend upwardly from the supporting plate 68, and which extend through cylindrical openings in the platen 94. Those cylindrical bars will coact with the securement of the die 72, the plate 70 and the plate 68 to the part 64 and with the securement of the plate 96 and the platen 94 to the movable part 92 of the punch press to maintain the punch 98 in register with the die 72. The mechanical or hydraulic components which move the movable part 92 of the punch press toward and away from the stationary part 94 will be of standard and usual design, and they are not illustrated in the drawing because they are not parts of the present invention.

The numeral 118 denotes an advancing device whic will provide successive advancements of the piece 62 of sheet metal stock, and which will provide appropriately-timed rests for that piece of sheet metal stock. That advancing device will be of standard and usual design; and it is not illustrated in detail because it is not a part of the present invention.

The numeral 120 in FIGS. 4, 11 and 12 denotes a supporting plate which has a male-type dovetail 121 that extends downwardly from the lower surface thereof. That male-type dovetail is disposed within the female-type dovetail guide 66 of the part 64, as shown by FIG. 11; and it will coact with that female-type dovetail guide to hold the plate 120 in assembled relation with the part 64 while permitting axial shifting of that plate relative to that part. Once the supporting plate 120 has been set in the desired axial position relative to the part 64, that supporting plate will be locked against further movement.

A plate 122 is mounted atop the supporting plate 120; and a plural-section forming block or die 124 is fixedly secured to the former plate. That die has convex, longitudinally-extending surfaces at both edges of the top thereof, has an elongated raised surface 126 on the right-hand convex longitudinally-extending surface which will form the offset 38 on the collar 36, and has an elongated edge 127 at the upper edge of that raised surface which will form the shoulder 39 adjacent that offset. A narrow recess 128 is formed in, and extends transversely of, the die 124; and a number of smalldiameter, cylindrical recesses 130 are formed in, and are aligned along the left-hand side of, that die. The recess 128 and the small-diameter cylindrical recesses are vertically-directed, as indicated particularly by FIGS. 7, 11 and 12. Small diameter pins 132, with convex upper ends and with larger-diameter generallycylindrical lower ends, are disposed within some of the small diameter recesses 130 in the die 124. As shown particularly by FIGS. 11 and 12, the convex upper ends of those pins project small distances above the adjacent convex, longitudinally-extending surfaces of the die 124.

The numeral denotes a platen which is secured to the movable part 92 of the punch press; and a plate 142 underlies, and is secured to, that platen. A pluralsection forming block or punch 144 is secured to the undersurface of the plate 142; and that punch has an elongated recess 146 in register with the raised surface 126 and with the edge 127 on the die 124. Also, the punch 144 has a recess 148 which will accommodate the abutment 42 which was formed on the blank 67 by the projection 88 of the die 72 during the preceding punching operation. In addition, the punch 144 has an elongated longitudinally-extending recess 150 therein which is in register with the pins 132 that are mounted within the small-diameter recesses 130 in the die 124. Further, the punch 144 has a pair of aligning blades 152; and those aligning blades are intended to extend downwardly into the narrow recess 128 in the die 124.

The numeral 154 denotes sturdy cylindrical bars which are secured to the supporting plate 120 and which extend upwardly through cylindrical recesses in the upper platen 140. Those cylindrical bars will coact with the securement of the die 124, the plate 122 and the supporting plate 120 to the part 64 of the punch press and with the securement of the die 144, the supporting plate 142 and the platen 140 to the movable part 92 of that punch press to hold that punch in register with that die.

When the punch 144 is moved downwardly toward the die 124, the lower ends of the aligning blades 152 must pass through the elongated slots 63 in the punched strip 62 of sheet metal stock and then enter the recess 128 in the punch 124. If, for any reason, the elongated slots 63 are not precisely in register with the lower ends of the aligning blades 152, but are so close to being in register with those lower ends that those lower ends can start to enter those slots, those aligning blades will adjust the axial position of the piece 62 of sheet metal stock until those aligning blades 152 are fully aligned with, and pass downwardly through, the elongated slots 63 and enter the recess 128 in the die 124.

As the punch 144 approaches the die 124, the recess 146 will force the right-hand side of the blank 67 downwardly against the raised surface 126 and against the edge 127 on the die 124, as indicated particularly by FIG. 1 1. In doing so, that recess will coact with that raised surface and with that edge to define the offset 38 and the shoulder 39 for the collar 36. Further, the recess 150 in that punch will coact with the convex upper ends of the small-diameter pins 132 to form the dimples 60 adjacent the left-hand edge of the blank 67. The cavity 148 will permit the punch 144 to seat solidly against the die 124 without in any way changing the configuration or dimensions of the abutment 42 on the blank 67. As the punch 144 and the die 124 form the offset 38, the shoulder 39 and the dimples 60 on the blank 67, they also will provide shallow, downwardly-directed curvatures for the sides of that blank, as shown particularly by FIG. 11.

The numeral 158 in FIGS. 13 and 14 denotes a supporting plate which has a male-type dovetail 159 at the bottom thereof that is disposed within the female-type dovetail guide 66 in the stationary part 64 of the punch press. A plate 160 is secured atop the supporting plate 158; and a plural-section forming block or die 162 with a plano-convex upper face is secured to that plate. That die has shallow, longitudinally-extending recesses 164 in the upper surface thereof, has a large generallyprismatic cavity 166 of rectangular cross section within the interior thereof, has a recess-defining hardened block 168 in the upper surface thereof, as shown by FIGS. 7, 16 and 17, and has slots 194 and 196 in the sides thereof which communicate with the cavity 166, as shown particularly by FIG. 13. A cylindrical support 169 in FIGS. 7 and 17 has a threaded lower end which is seated within a tapped opening in the plate 160; and a pivot 170, in the form of a bolt, extends into a tapped opening in the upper end of that cylindrical support. A second cylindrical support 171 in FIGS. 7 and 17 is secured to the plate 160 on the opposite side of the die 162; and a pivot 172, in the form of a bolt, is seated within a tapped opening in the upper end of that second cylindrical support.

A block 174, which is prismatic and of rectangular cross section, is movably positioned within the cavity 166 in the die 162, as shown particularly by FIGS. 7, 14 and 16. That block extends transversely of the long dimension of the cavity 166; and pins 176 and 178 extend downwardly from the lower surface of that block but terminate above the bottom of the cavity 166, as shown by FIG. 14. A generally L-shaped bracket 180,

which has a vertically-directed pin 182 thereon, is secured to a movable block 238 which is shown by FIGS. 7 and 15. A generally-similar bracket 184 with a vertically-directed pin 186 thereon is secured to a movable block 252 which also is shown by FIGS. 7 and 15. An L-shaped lever 188 is rotatably held by the pivot 170, on the cylindrical support 169, as shown particularly by FIG. 7. That L-shaped lever has elongated slots in the outer ends of the arms thereof; and the elongated slot in the outer end of the short arm of that lever ex tends downwardly over the pin 182 on the bracket 180, while the elongated slot in the long arm of that lever extends upwardly over the pin 176 carried by the movable block 174. The numeral 190 denotes a second L-shaped lever; and that lever is rotatably held by the pivot 172 which extends downwardly into the cylindrical support 171, as indicated by FIG. 7. The L- shaped lever 190 has elongated slots in the ends of the arms thereof; and the elongated slot in the short arm of that lever accommodates the pin 186 on the bracket 184, While the elongated slot in the long arm of that lever telescopes upwardly over the pin 178 carried by the movable block 174.

As indicated by FIG. 7, the L-shaped lever 188 can lie in, or move between, a dotted-line and a solid-line position. Similarly, as shown by FIG. 7, the L-shaped lever 190 can lie in, or move between, a dotted-line position or a solid-line position. Elongated ejection rods 192 are secured to the movable block 174; and those ejection rods extend to the left from that block, as shown particularly by FIGS. 7 and 16. Passages 193 are provided in the left-hand end of the die 162; and

those passages help support and guide the ejection rods 192, and thereby help support and guide the movable block 174.

The numeral 198 in FIGS. 4, l6 and 17 denotes a platen which is secured to the movable upper part 92 of the punch press. A plate 200 is secured to the undersurface of the platen 198; and a block-206 is secured to the center of the undersurface of that plate. Passages 202, with recessed upper ends, are formed in the platen 198, recesses 204 are formed in the plate 200, and recesses 208 are formed in the block 206. The passages 202, the recesses 204 and the recesses 208 are vertically-directed and are aligned with each other, as indicated particularly by FIGS. 13, 14 and 16. A shallow elongated and narrow recess 210 is provided in the lower face of the block 206; and that recess is located between the passages 208 in that block. A movable block 212 underlies the block 206, as shown particularly by FIGS. 13 and 14; and the threaded lower ends of headed rods 214 are held by tapped openings within that movable block. The shanks of those headed rods extend upwardly through helical compression springs 216 which are disposed within the recesses 204 and 208 respectively, in the plate 200 and the block 206. The headed rods 214 also extend upwardly through the passages 202 in the platen 198; and the heads of those headed rods can move between the lower positions of FIG. 13 and the raised positions of FIG. 14. The helical compression springs 216 will tend to hold the movable block 212 in the lower position of FIG. 13; but, as the upper platen 198 is moved downwardly toward the die 162, the rods 214 will be forced to move toward the raised positions of FIG. 14. The numeral 218 denotes a plate with downwardly-directed locating projections 220 thereon; and that plate is shown particularly in FIG. 18. That plate is disposed within, and is carried by, an elongated recess in the lower surface of the block 212. A bolt 219 extends downwardly through an elongated narrow slot in that block to seat in a tapped opening in the plate 218; and that bolt can hold that plate at any desired point along the length of that elongated recess.

The numeral 221 denotes blocks which extend downwardly from the supporting plate 200, and which are located at opposite sides of the blocks 206 and 212. The block 212 is narrow enough, relative to the space between the upper portions of the confronting faces of the blocks 211, to permit ready movement of that block from the position of FIG. 13 to the position of FIG. 14. The blocks 221 have concave generallycylindrical confronting surfaces adjacent the bottoms thereof as indicated particularly by FIG. 13. The radii of curvature of those concave generally-cylindrical confronting surfaces are just slightly larger than the radii of curvature of the convex generally-cylindrical surfaces at the opposite sides of the die 162, as shown particularly by FIGS. 13 and 14. The radii of curvature of those convex generally-cylindrical surfaces are essentially the same as the radius of curvature of the collar 36. The bottom of the block 212 is flat; and it will hold the central portion of a blank 67 against the flat central portion of the upper surface of the die 162, while the concave generally-cylindrical confronting surfaces at the bottoms of the blocks 221 bend the sides of that block downwardly against the arcuate sides of the upper surface of that die. As a result, the block 212 and the blocks 221 will coact with the die 162 to keep the central portion of blank 67 flat while bending the sides of that blank downwardly.

The numeral 224 in FIGS. and 16 denotes a female-type groove of dovetail configuration in the upper surface of the plate 160; and that female-type groove extends transversely of the female-type dovetail groove 66 in the upper surface of the stationary part 64 of the punch press. A right-circular cylinder 226 is bolted to the left-hand end of the die 162 by four elongated bolts 228, as indicated by FIG. 16; and that cylinder is spaced a short distance above the upper surface of the plate 160. That cylinder has two elongated semi-cylindrical grooves 229 at the opposite ends of a horizontally directed diameter thereof, as shown by FIG. 15. Those semi-cylindrical grooves are in register with the passages 193 in the left-hand end of the die 162; and those semi-cylindrical grooves will accommo date the inner surfaces of the ejection pins 192, as shown by FIG. 15. The outer surfaces of those ejection pins will extend outwardly beyond the periphery of the cylinder 226; and they will act to eject a collar 36 which encircles that cylinder.

The numeral 230 denotes a stationary block which has horizontally-directed passages 232 therein with enlarged outer ends; and that block is disposed at the lefthand side of the plate 160. The numeral 234 denotes a second stationary block which is secured to the plate 160 adjacent the right-hand side of that plate; and that second stationary block has horizontally-extending passages 236 therein with enlarged outer ends. The movable block 238 is disposed inwardly of the stationary block 230; and that movable block has a concave cylindrical inner face 240 and an inclined outer face 242. As indicated particularly by FIG. 15, that movable block can move between a dotted-line outer position and a solid-line inner position. When that movable block is in its dotted-line outer position, the left-hand face thereof will abut the right-hand face of the stationary block 230. When that movable block is in its solid-line inner position, the concave cylindrical inner face 240 thereof will press the left-hand side of a collar 36 into intimate engagement with the left-hand half of the periphery of the cylinder 226. A recess 243 is provided in the upper surface of the movable block 238 to accommodate one-half of the abutment 42 on a collar 36 which is telescoped over the cylinder 226.

Rods 244 have threaded ends seated within tapped sockets in the movable block 238, as shown particularly by FIGS. 7 and 15; and those rods extend outwardly through the passages 232 in the stationary block 230. Helical compression springs 246 encircle the outer portions of the rods 244 and have the inner ends thereof disposed within the enlarged outer ends of the passages 232. Washers 248 telescope over the outer ends of those rods and bear against the outer ends of those helical compression springs; and those washers are held in assembled relation with the rods by nuts 250 which are threaded onto threads at the outer ends of those rods. The helical compression springs 246 will bias the movable block 238 for movement toward the outer position shown by dotted lines in FIG. 15, but can yield to permit that block to be moved to its inner position.

The movable block 252 has a concave cylindrical inner face 254 and an inclined outer face 256. In addition, that movable block has a shallow recess 258 in the upper surface thereof to accommodate the other half of an abutment 42 on a collar 36 mounted on the cylinder 226. The movable block 252 is movable between the outer position shown by solid lines in FIG. 15 and an inner position, not shown, which is comparable to the solid-line position of the movable block 238 in FIG. 15. When the movable block 252 is in its outer position, the right-hand face thereof will abut the lefthand face of the stationary block 234; but when that movable block is in its inner position, the concave cylindrical inner face 254 thereof will press a collar 36 into engagement with the right-hand half of the periphery of the cylinder 226.

Elongated rods 260 have threads at the inner ends thereof seated within tapped sockets in the movable block 256; and the outer ends of those rods extend through the passages 236 in the stationary block 234. Helical compression springs 262 encircle the outer portions of the rods 260 and have the inner ends thereof disposed within the enlarged outer ends of the passages 236. Nuts 266 on the outer ends of the rods 260 hold washers 264 in engagement with the outer ends of the helical compression springs 262. The helical compression springs 262 will bias the movable block 252 for movement toward the outer position shown by solid lines in FIG. 15, but can yield to permit that block to be moved to its inner position, not shown.

The numeral 268 denotes a cam with an inclined lower face; and that cam is secured to and depends downwardly from ,22 the left-hand portion of the plate 200. The inclination of that lower face is complementary to the inclination of the inclined outer face 242 on the movable block 238. The numeral 270 denotes a cam which is secured to and depends downwardly from the right-hand portion of the plate 200; and that cam has an inclined lower face which is complementary to the inclined outer face 256 of the movable block 252. When the platen 198 and the plate 200 are in the raised position indicated by the right-hand half of FIG. 15, the lower ends of the inclined lower faces of the cams 268 and 270 will partially overlap the upper ends of the inclined outer faces 242 and 256, respectively, of the movable blocks 238 and 252. When that platen and that plate are in the lowered position indicated by the left-hand side of FIG. 15, the inclined lower faces of the cams 268 and 270 will be coextensive with the inclined outer faces 242 and 256, respectively, of those movable blocks. In moving downwardly from the raised position indicated by the right-hand half of FIG. 15 to the lowered position indicated by the left-hand half of FIG. 15, the cams 268 and 270 will force the movable blocks 238 and 252 to move from their outer positions to their inner positions. As those cams subsequently move back up toward the raised position indicated by the right-hand side of FIG. 15, those cams will permit the helical compression springs 246 and 262 to mOve the movable blocks 238 and 252 back to their outer positions. The movable blocks 238 and 252 thus act as cam followers.

The numeral 272 denotes a cut-off blade which is secured to the plate 200 by a bolt which extends into a block 273 carried by that plate, as shown by FIG. 16. The recess in the hardened block 168 in the upper portion of the die 162 will accommodate the lower end of the cut-off blade 272. That lower end will sever the connecting portion 65 between two adjacent blanks 67 as that lower end moves into the recess defined by the hardened block 168.

Sturdy cylindrical bars 222 extend upwardly from the supporting plate 58 and extend through cylindrical openings in the platen 198. Those cylindrical bars and cylindrical openings coact with the securement of the die 162, the plate 160, and the supporting plate 158 to the part 64 and with the securement of blocks 206 and 221, the plate 200 and the platen 198 to the movable part 92 of the punch press to hold the concave generally-cylindrical confronting surfaces adjaccnt the bottoms of the blocks 221 in register with the convex generally-cylindrical surfaces at the opposite sides of the die 162, and to hold the locating projections 220 of the plate 218 in register with the recesses 164 in the upper surface of the die 162. Further, those sturdy cylindrical bars coact with the securement of the cylinder 226 to the die 162 and the securement of the blocks 230 and 234, the plate 160 and the plate 158 to the stationary part 64 with the securement of the cams 268 and 270, the plate 200 and the platen 198 to the movable part 92 of the punch press to hold the concave semi-cylindrical inner faces 240 and 254 of the movable blocks 238 and 252 in register with the cylinder 226 and to hold the cams 268 and 270 in register with the inclined outer faces of those movable blocks.

When the movable part 92 of the punch press moves the platen 198 and the plate 200 downwardly from the position at the right-hand side of FIG. 15 to the position at the left-hand side of FIG. 15, the locating projections 220 on the plate 218 will enter the confronting ends of the slots 63 between the left-handmost and the second left-handmost blanks 67 in FIG. 3, the block 212 will engage and hold the central portion of the second right-handmost blank 67, and then the concave generally-cylindrical confronting surfaces on the blocks 221 will engage the sides of that second righthandmost blank and bend those sides downwardly. Also, the cut-off blade 272 will cut away the connecting portion 65 at the left-hand end of the left-handmost blank 67 to free the blank which is denoted by the numeral 36 and which is shown in the form of a collar. In addition, the inclined faces at the bottoms of the cams 268 and 270 will force the movable blocks 238 and 252 to move from their outer positions to their inner positions. As those movable blocks move toward those inner positions, the concave semi-cylindrical inner faces 240 and 254 thereof will engage the downwardly-curved edges of the freed blank and will bend those edges into engagement with the lower portion of the cylinder 226. As those edges are bent into engagement with that lower portion of that cylinder, the plane central area of that freed blank will be drawn down into engagement with and will be bent around the upper portion of that cylinder. As the movable blocks 238 and 252 reach their inner positions, the dimpled edge of the freed blank will be pressed tightly against the undersurface of the cylinder 226, and the offset 38 at the opposite edge of that blank will be moved into position below that dimpled edge, as indicated by dotted lines in FIG. 15. Although the cutting away of the connecting portion 65 by the cut-off blade 272 freed the blank from the left-handmost blank 67, the freed blank was fully confined by the cylinder 226 and by the confronting arcuate faces 240 and 254, respectively, of the movable blocks 238 and 252.

As the movable blocks 238 and 252 moved from their outer positions to their inner positions, the pins 182 and 186 which are carried by the brackets and 184 on those movable blocks moved from their outer positions to their inner positions. In doing so, the pin 182 rotated the L-shaped lever 188 from its dotted-line position to its solid-line position in FIG. 7, and the pin 186 rotated the L-shaped lever from its solid-line position to its dotted-line position in FIG. 7. The movable block 174 responded to such rotation of those L- shaped levers to move from its position adjacent the left-hand end of the cavity 166 to its position adjacent the right-hand end of that cavity and thereby moved the ejector pins 192 into the retracted position shown in FIG. 7. The movement of those ejection pins to that retracted position enabled the concave confronting surfaces 240 and 254, respectively, of the movable blocks 238 and 252 to force the freed blank into intimate engagement with the surface of the cylinder 226.

Subsequently, when the movable part 92 of the punch press moves back up to the position of FIG. 4, the blocks 221 will move up out of engagement with the downwardly-bent sides of the second righthandmost blank 67 and the block 212 will move up out of engagement with the central portion of that blank. Also, the cams 268 and 270 will move upwardly to the position indicated by the right-hand side of FIG. 15, and the helical compression springs 246 and 262 will move the movable blocks 238 and 252 to their outer positions thereby releasing the blank which those blocks bent into the form of a collar. As those blocks move to those positions, they will move the pins 182 and 186, carried by the brackets 180 and 184, away from each other; and the L-shaped lever 188 will rotate from the solid-line position to the dotted-line position in FIG. 7 while the L-shaped lever 190 rotates from the dotted-line position to the solid-line position in FIG. 7. The resulting shifting of the movable block 174 toward the left-hand end of the cavity 166 in the die 162 will cause the ejection pins 192 to enter and pass through the semi-circular grooves 229 in the opposite sides of the cylinder 266 causing the outer ends of those ejection pins to engage the rear edge of the collar 36 and to force that collar to telescope off of the cylinder 226.

The aligning blades 152 will coact with the connecting portion 65 between the right-handmost and the second right-handmost blanks 67 in FIG. 3 to help make sure that the connecting portions 65 between all of the various blanks 67 lie along the axis defined by the dies 72, 124, and 162 and by the cylinder 226. Similarly, the projections 220 on the plate 218 will coact with the connecting portion 65 between the lefthandmost and the second left-handmost blanks 67 in FIG. 3 to help make sure that the connecting portions 65 between all of the various blanks 67 lie along the axis defined by the dies 72, 124 and 162 and by the cylinder 226. As a result, the second right-handmost blank 67 will be squarely between the die 124 and the punch 144, the left-handmost blank 67 will be squarely between the die 162 and the blocks 212 and 221, and the freed blank will be between the movable blocks 238 and 252.

The die 72 and the punch 98 serve as one station of a progressive die, the die 124 and the punch 144 serve as the second station of such a die, the die 162 and the blocks 206 and 221 serve as the third station of such a die, and the cylinder 226 and the movable blocks 238 and 252 serve as the fourth station of such a die. The first station is spaced from the second station by an interval essentially equal to the length of one of the blanks 67 of FIG. 3. Similarly, the second station and the third station are spaced apart by an interval essentially equal to the length of such a blank; but the third and fourth stations are spaced apart a distance equal to the length of a connecting portion 65. As a result, FIG. 3 represents the length of a piece of sheet metal stock which extends from the advancing device 118 to the left-hand end of the cylinder 226 in FIG. 4.

The length of each blank 67 shown in FIG. 3 is approximately 6 inches; and hence the length of the collar 36 in FIG. 3 is 6 inches. If a shorter collar were desired, the advancing device 118 would be set to provide shorter advances of the piece 62 of sheet metal stock, but the same punches and dies and essentially the same intervals between adjacent stations could be used if the length of the shorter collar was an integral factor of the 6 inch length of the collar 36. If, however, the length of the shorter collar was not an integral factor of the 6 inch length of the collar 36, different intervals would have to be provided between the adjacent stations of the overall die, fewer pins 132 and a different grouping of those pins in the openings 130 of the die 124 might have to be used, and the bolt 219 in FIGS. 13 and 14 might have to be loosened to permit the plate 218 to be shifted axially of the block 212 or shorter blocks 212 and 221 might have to be used. Importantly, the punches 98 and 144, the dies 72, 124 and 162, the cylinder 226, and the blocks 238 and 252 would not have to be replaced. Also importantly, regardless of the axial lengths of the dies and punches that are used, the operations performed in each station will be essentially unchanged differing only in the lengths of the blanks 67 or collars 36 being acted upon in those stations. As a result, it is inexpensive and easy to rearrange the overall die of FIGS. 4-18 to produce collars of different lengths. By use of the present invention, it is possible to form collars 36 which have lengths ranging from seven-eighths of an inch to 6 inches; and to have the collars throughout that range differ from each other by one-eighth of an inch differences in their lengths.

Referring particularly to FIGS. 19-22, the numeral 276 generally denotes a support which is part of a combined clamping and welding device. A plate 277 is spaced a short distance rearwardly of the rear face of that support, as shown by FIG. 20. An anvil 278 of cylindrical form extends horizontally from the front of that support; and that anvil is made from a highlyconductive metal such as copper. Four grooves 280 of semi-cylindrical form are provided in the periphery of the anvil 278; and those grooves are distributed around the circumference of that anvil. As shown by FIG. 21, two of those grooves are located at the ends of one diameter of that anvil, while the other two grooves are located at the ends of an angularly-displaced diameter of that anvil.

The numeral 282 denotes a sub-frame which projects rearwardly from the plate 277; and that sub-frame supports a hydraulic cylinder 284. The piston 286 of that hydraulic cylinder is coaxial with the anvil 278; and it is movable'toward and away from the rear of that anvil. Four ejection rods 288 are secured to the piston 286 by a connecting plate 290; and the forward ends of those ejection rods extend into the grooves 280 in the periphery of the anvil 278. Those ejection rods are guided and supported by openings, not shown, in the plate 277, and by the grooves 280 in the periphery of the anvil 278.

The numeral 292 denotes a pivot which has the axis thereof parallel to, but located below the level of the axis of the anvil 278; and that pivot extends forwardly from the support 276. That pivot rotatably supports a jaw 294 which has a concave semi-cylindrical surface; and it also supports a jaw 296 which has a concave semi-cylindrical surface. A hydraulic cylinder 298 is located below the level of the pivot 292, and it extends transversely of that pivot, as shown particularly by FIG. 19. A pin 308 pivotally secures the outer end of the piston 300 of that hydraulic cylinder to the lower end of a lever 306 which is fixedly secured to, and which extends downwardly at an angle from, the jaw 296. A pin 304 pivotally secures the closed end of the hydraulic cylinder 298 to a lever 302 whicch is fixedly secured to, and which extends downwardly at an angle from, the jaw 294. When the piston 300 is in the retracted position shown by FIG. 19, the concave semicylindrical surfaces of the jaws 294 and 296 are spaced away from the surface of the anvil 278. However, when that piston is moved to its extended position, those concave semi-cylindrical surfaces will press a collar 36 into intimate engagement with the anvil 278, as shown particularly by FIG. 21.

The numeral 310 denotes a hydraulic cylinder which is secured to the front of the support 276 above the level of the anvil 278. The piston 312 of that hydraulic cylinder is confined for vertical movement by a guide 314 at the front of that support; and the lower end of that piston carries a welding electrode 316 which is provided with a number of downwardly-extending projections 318 at the lower face thereof. A flexible conductor 320 is connected to the electrode 316 by being bolted to an arm of that electrode, and a conductor 322 is fixedly connected to the rear of the anvil 278. The opposite ends of those conductors extend to a Welder Power Supply of standard and usual construction, which is denoted by the numeral 324.

In using the combination clamping and welding device of FIGS. 19-22, the operator will actuate suitable switches or levers, not shown, that will cause the piston 286 to move into retracted position within the hydraulic cylinder 284, will cause the piston 300 to move to retracted position within the hydraulic cylinder 298, and will cause the piston 312 to move to retracted position within the hydraulic cylinder 310. The retracting movements of those pistons will move the ejection pins 288 out of the grooves 280 in the anvil 278, will move the jaws 294 and 296 away from that anvil, and will move the welding electrode 316 upwardly away from that anvil. As a result, a workman can easily telescope a collar 36 into the spaces between the surface of the anvil 278 and the concave semi-cylindrical surfaces of the jaws 294 and 296; and that collar will be in the condition into which it was bent by the movable blocks 238 and 252 of FIG. 15.

Thereafter, the operator will actuate the switch or valve, not shown, that will cause the piston 300 to move to its extended position, and thereby force the jaws 294 and 296 to the closed position indicated by FIG. 21. In that closed position, the concave semicylindrical surfaces of those jaws will engage the collar 36 and will force it into intimate engagement with the anvil 278. As the operator inserts that collar into the spaces between the surface of that anvil and those concave semi-cylindrical surfaces, he will set the offset 38 so it is at the top of that anvil and is in register with the projections 318 at the lower surface of the welding electrode 316. As the jaws 294 and 296 then move into the closed position of FIG. 21, they will force the dimple-bearing edge of the collar 36 into position beneath the offset 38 and toward the shoulder 39.

While the jaws 294 and 296 are holding the dimplebearing edge of the collar 36 beneath the offset 38 and close to the shoulder 29, the operator will actuate the switch or valve, not shown, that will cause the hydraulic cylinder 310 to act through its piston 312 to move the projections 318 on the lower surface of the welding electrode 316 into engagement with that offset. Those projections are in register with the dimples 60 adjacent the dimpled edge of the collar 36, as indicated by FIG. 22; and those projections will coact with those dimples to concentrate the current which flows through the lapped edges of the collar 36 thereby assuring the formation of strong and rugged spot welds. At the conclusion of the welding step, the appropriate switch or valve, not shown, will be actuated to cause the hydraulic cylinder 310 to move the piston 312 upwardly, and thereby raise the welding electrode 316 to the position shown by FIG. 19.

The appropriate switch or valve, not shown, can then be actuated to cause the hydraulic cylinder 298 to move the jaws 294 and 296 to the open position shown by FIG. 19. Thereupon, the. appropriate switch or valve, not shown, can be actuated to cause the hydraulic cylinder 284 to act through the piston 286 and connecting plate 290 to force the ejection rods 288 to pass forwardly through the grooves 280 in the anvil 278. As those ejection rods pass forwardly through those grooves, they will telescope the collar 36 off of the anvil 278.

Because the anvil 278 is made of a highly conductive metal, such as copper, that anvil can serve as the stationary electrode of the clamping and welding device. In serving as that stationary electrode, that anvil provides a large-area, low-resistance junction between itself and the collar 36, thereby assuring an ample flow of current into and through that collar. The overall result is that the combination clamping and welding device of FIGS. 19-22 can provide the required diameter for the collar 36, and can provide strong and sturdy spot welds to maintain that diameter.

In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the exposed axial length of the anvil 278 is 3 inches. Where the axial length of a collar 36 is 3 inches or less, that anvil and the electrode 316 can provide spot welds along the length of the offset 38 in one operation. However, where the axial length of a collar 36 is greater than 3 inches but not greater than 6 inches, about one-half of the length of the offset 38 can be welded in one operation, that collar can be telescoped off of the anvil 278 by the ejection rods 288, that collar can be turned end-for-end and telescoped back over that anvil, and then the other half of the length of the offset 38 can be welded in a second operation.

Referring particularly to FIGS. 23-26, the numeral 326 denotesa stationary part of a punch press; and the numeral 328 denotes a plate supported by that stationary part. A stationary block 330 is secured to the central part of the upper surface of the plate 328; and that block is prismatic in form, but has a short, cylindrical, forwardly-extending portion 333 att the front end thereof. The diameter of the cylindrical portion 333 is just slightly less than the inner diameter of the welded collar 36 provided by the combination clamping and welding device of FIGS. 19-22. As a result, that cylindrical portion can releasably receive and support one end of that welded collar. The stationary block 330 has a cylindrical opening 332 therethrough, as shown by FIG. 24; and that opening is concentric with the cylindrical portion 333 at the forward end of that block. A recess 334 of rectangular form is provided at the end of one diameter of the cylindrical portion 333, as indicated by FIGS. 23 and 24; and a similar recess 336 is provided at the other end of that diameter.

A stop 340 is provided at the forward end of the stationary block 330; and that stop is spaced above the cylindrical portion 333 a distance which is just slightly greater than the thickness of the collar 36, as shown particularly by FIG. 23. As a result, an operator can telescope one end of a welded collar 36 onto the cylindrical portion 333 of the stationary block 330 and set the free edge of the offset 38 therein in engagement with that stop.

The numeral 342 denotes a rotatable support which has a cylindrical shank, a small-diameter cylindrical rear end 344, and a large-diameter cylindrical front end 346. The small-diameter rear end 344 of that rotatable support is telescoped rearwardly through the cylindrical passage in the stationary block 330; and that rear end extends outwardly beyond the rear face of that stationary block. The rear face of the largediameter front end 346 of the rotatable support 342 abuts the front face of the cylindrical portion 333 of the stationary block 330. A concave, semi-cylindrical, axially-directed recess 348 is provided in the periphery of the large-diameter front end 346 of the rotatable support 342; and a similar recess 350 also is provided in-that periphery. The recesses 348 and 350 are at the opposite ends of a diameter of the large-diameter front end 346 of the rotatable support 342, as shown by dotted lines in FIG. 23. For clarity of showing of the recess 336 in the stationary block 330, the solid-line position of the recess 350 is not shown in FIG. 23.

A collar 351 is fixedly secured to the small diameter rear end 344 of the rotatable support 342 by a pin or key, not shown; and that collar is immediately adjacent the rear face of the stationary block 330. A pin 338 is secured to, and projects rearwardly from, the collar 351; and that pin is eccentric of the axis of the rotatable support 342. That pin extends into and through a slot 352 in a cam plate 354 which is fixed relative to, and which moves upwardly and downwardly with, the upper platen 394 of the punch press of FIGS. 23 and 24. The slot 352 is vertically-directed, but it has an inclined offset 353 intermediate the ends thereof; and that inclined offset will respond to vertical movement of the cam plate 354 to force the pin 338 to rotate the collar 351 and the rotatable support 342.

The numeral 360 denotes a stationary block which is secured to the plate 328 adjacent the left side of the forward end of the stationary block 330; and the stationary block 360 has an inclined outer face 361. A horizontally-directed passage 362 is provided in the block 360 adjacentthe upper end of that block; and a horizontally-directed recess 364, withh a largerdiameter outer end, is provided in that block below the level of the passage 362. A cam follower 366 has the righthand end thereof slidably disposed within the passage 362 in the stationary block 360, it has an inclined outer face 368, and it has a downwardlyextending portion 369 which extends downwardly into register with the outer end of the recess 364. A helical compression spring 374 has the right-hand end thereof disposed within the enlarged-diameter outer end of the recess 364, and it has the left-hand end thereof bearing against the inner face of the downwardly-extending portion 369 of the cam follower 366. A rod 372 is secured to the inner face of the downwardly-extending portion 369 of the cam follower 366; and that rod extends through the helical compression spring 374 and into the small-diameter portion of the recess 364. The numeral 370 denotes a punch which is secured to the inner end of the cam follower 366; and that punch has a cylindrical upper face and a flat lower face so it can punch a semi-cylindrical ear 48 out of the side wall of the collar 36. Normally, the punch 370 is in the outer position shown in FIGS. 23 and 24; but, as that punch is moved to its inner position, it will cut the wall off the collar 36, adjacent the opening 56 in that wall, to form a semi-circular ear 48 and to bend that ear downwardly to the position shown by dotted lines in FIG. 24.

The numeral 376 denotes a stationary block which is the mirror image of the stationary block 360; and that block is secured to the plate 328 adjacent the right side of the forward end of the stationary block 330. The stationary block 376 has an inclined outer face 378, has a horizontally-directed passage 380 in the upper portion thereof, and has a horizontally-directed recess 382 with an enlarged diameter outer end below the level of the passage 380. A cam follower 384, which is identical to the cam follower 366, has an inclined outer face 386 and has a downwardly-extending portion 387 which overlies the enlarged-diameter outer end of the recess 382. A rod 390 is secured to the inner face of the downwardly-extending portion 387; and that rod extends inwardly through a helical compression spring 392, which is disposed within the enlargeddiameter outer end of the recess 382, and into the small-diameter portion of that recess. A punch 388 is secured to the inner end of the cam follower 384; and that punch has a semi-cylindrical upper surface and a fiat lower surface, as shown particularly by FIG. 26. Normally, the punch 388 is in an outer position comparable to the outer position shown by FIGS. 23 and 24 for the punch 370; but as that punch is moved to the inner position shown by FIGS. 23 and 24, it will cut the wall of the collar 36, adjacent the opening 58 in that wall, to form a semi-circular ear 50 and to bend that ear downwardly to the position shown by dotted lines in FIG. 24.

The numeral 396 denotes a plate which is secured to the under surface of the platen 394; and the cam plate 354 is fixedly secured to the plate 396. A cam 400, which has an inclined lower face 402, is secured to and depends downwardly from the left-hand lower surface of the plate 396; and that inclined lower face is in register with the inclined outer face 368 on the cam follower 366. A similar cam 404, which has an inclined lower face 406, is secured to, and depends downwardly from, the right-hand lower surface of the plate 396; and that inclined lower face is in register with the inclined outer face 386 on the cam follower 384. Sturdy cylindrical rods 398 extend upwardly from the stationary part 326 of the punch press and extend through cylindrical openings in the platen 394. Those cylindrical rods coact with those cylindrical recesses, and with the securement of the stationary blocks 330, 360 and 376 and the plate 328 to the stationary part 326 of the punch press and with the attachment of the cam plate 354 and the cams 400 and 404 and the plate 396 to the platen 394, to hold the cams 400 and 404 in register, respectively, with the inclined faces 368 and 386 of the cam followers 366 and 384 and to hold the slot 352 in that cam plate in position adjacent the collar 351 and in register with the pin 352.

When the platen 394 is in the raised position indicated by the left-hand side of FIG. 23, the lower end of the slot 352 in the cam plate 354 will be holding the pin 338 in its left-handmost position, as shown by FIG. 23; and hence the recess 348 in the large-diameter front end 346 of the rotatable support 342 will be in the solid-line position in FIG. 23, and thus in register with the recess 334 in the stationary block 330. At that time, the recess 350 in the large-diameter front end 346 of the rotatable support 342 will be in register with the recess 336 in that stationary block. The cams 400 and 404 will have the inclined lower faces thereof engaging only the upper portions of the inclined outer faces 368 and 386, respectively, of the cam followers 366 and 384. As a result, the helical compression springs 374 and 392 will be holding those cam followers in their outer positions; and hence the punches 370 and 388 will be disposed radially outwardly of the outer periphery of the large-diameter front end 346 of the rotatable support 342. At such time, an operator can telescope one end of a welded collar 36 over the cylindrical portion 333 at the frontend of the stationary block 330. That collar will be oriented so the free edge of the offset 38 engages the stop 340; and, consequently, the opening 56 in that collar will be in register with the recess 334 in the stationary block 330, and the opening 58 will be in register with the recess 336 in that stationary block.

Subsequently, as the platen 394 and the plate 396 move downwardly, they will move the cam plate 354 downwardly; and the slot 352 therein will force the pin 338 to move to the right and thereby rotate the collar 351 and the rotatable support 342 in the clockwise direction in FIG. 23 with consequent shifting of the recess 348 in the large-diameter front end 346 of that rotatable support toward the dotted-line position in FIG. 23 and with consequent shifting of the recess 350 in that large-diameter front end toward its dotted-line position. The inclined lower faces 402 and 406, respectively, of the cams 400 and 404, will coact with the inclined outer faces 368 and 386, respectively, of the cam followers 366 and 384 to force those cam followers to move inwardly. By the time the inner faces of the punches 370 and 388 move into engagement with the outer surface of the collar 36, the recess 348 in the large-diameter front end 346 of the rotatable support 342 will have been shifted wholly out of register with the recess 336 in the cylindrical portion 333 of the stationary block 330, and the recess 350 in that largediameter front end will have been shifted wholly out of register with the recess 336 in that cylindrical portion. Consequently, the portions of the collar 36 which are disposed outwardly of the semi-circular area that will become the car 48 will receive full support from the cylindrical portion 333 and from the largediameter front end 346 of the rotatable support 342; and, similarly, the portions of the collar 36 which are disposed outwardly of the semi-circular area that will become the ear 50 will receive full support from that cylindrical portion and from that large-diameter front end. As a result, the punches 370 and 388 are able to coact, respectively, with the recesses 334 and 336 in the cylindrical portion 333 to cleanly punch the ears 48 and 50 and to bend those ears into those recesses. Also, because the surrounding portions of the collar 36 are fully supported by the cylindrical portion 333 and by the large-diameter front end 346 of the rotatable support 342, those surrounding portions will retain the cylindrical configuration which they had before the cars 48 and 50 were formed.

Thereafter, when the platen 394 and the plate 396 are moved upwardly, the helical compression spring 374 will move the punch 370 out of the recess 334 and out of the hole 52 which that punch formed in the collar 36 as it formed the ear 48; and the helical compression spring 382 will move the punch 388 out of the recess 336 and out of the opening 54 which that punch formed in the collar 36 as it formed the ear 50. Also, as the platen 394 and the plate 396 are moved upwardly, the slot 352 in the cam plate 354 will coact with the pin 338 to rotate the collar 351 and the rotatable support 342 in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 23 until the recess 348 in the large-diameter front end 346 of that rotatable support is in register with the recess 334 and the recess 350 in that large-diameter front end is in register with the recess 336. At such time, the operator can pull the collar 36 forwardly off of the cylindrical portion 333, because the recess 348 is in register with and is larger than the ear 48 and because the recess 350 is in register with and is larger than the ear 50. That collar can then be assembled with an under-the-floor duct.

It will be noted that in forming the collar 36, it is only necessary for an operator to feed the elongated strip 62 of sheet metal stock into the die of FIG. 4, to set the punch press for that die in operation, to take the formed collars 36 ejected from that die and place them in the combination clamping and welding device of FIGS. 19-22, and then to place that collar in the punch press of FIGS. 23-26. Consequently, it should be apparent that the method of the present invention makes it possible to form a collar of sturdy sheet metal on a production-line basis with a minimum of manual operations. That collar has an offset 38 formed thereon which is fixedly secured to the dimpled edge of that collar by a plurality of aligned spot welds, it has the lower end of that offset cut away, it has an abutment 42 punched outwardly of the lower end thereof, it has slots 44 and 46 formed in that lower end, it has ears 48 and 50 punched inwardly of the upper end thereof, and it has openings 56 and 58, respectively, in those ears which are immediately adjacent the inner surface of that collar. Such a collar is sturdy and inexpensive; and it is easily secured within an opening in an underthe-floor duct by resting the bottoms of the abutment 42 and of the offset 38 on the upper surface of that duct, and by flaring the lower end of that collar outwardly into position beneath the upper surface of that duct.

Whereas the drawing and accompanying description have shown and described a preferred method, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made in the form of the present invention without affecting the scope thereof.

What I claim is:

1. In apparatus, for forming a collar from a strip of sheet metal which is short in one direction and which is long in a second, orthogonal direction and which is progressively advanced in step-by-step fashion through said apparatus in an advancing direction substantially parallel to said second direction, a punch and die that serve as one station of a progressive die and that can form a slot in said strip of sheet metal in a slotting direction which is generally parallel to said one direction to help define a sheet metal blank and a connecting portion which maintains said sheet metal blank as an integral, contiguous part of said strip of sheet metal, a forming member which is spaced beyond said punch and die in said advancing direction and which has a surface that can engage and provide support for a portion of one face of said sheet metal blank after said punch and die have formed said slot in said strip of sheet metal to help define said sheet metal blank and said connecting portion, said forming member having an elongated surface that is both transversely and laterally displaced from, but that extends generally parallel to, the first said surface and that can force an elongated portion of said one face of said sheet metal blank to be offset from the rest of said one face of said sheet metal blank, said elongated surface on said forming member being adapted to receive one edge of said sheet metal blank so said offset portion of said sheet metal blank will be adjacent said one edge of said sheet metal blank, a second forming member which is spaced beyond said punch and die in said advancing direction and which is in register with the first said forming member and which has a surface that is complementary to said first said surface on said first said forming member and which has an elongated surface that is complementary to said elongated surface on said first said forming member, and guiding elements which confine and guide said forming members for movement toward and away from each other at right angles to the first said surfaces on said forming members and substantially at right angles to said advancing direction, said first said and said second forming members serving as another station for said progressive die, said second forming member having the first said surface and said elongated surface thereof movable into engagement with the opposite face of said sheet metal blank while said connecting portion is maintaining said sheet metal blank as an integral, contiguous part of said strip of sheet metal to force the first said portion of said one face of said sheet metal blank into engagement with said first said surface on said first said forming member and to force said elongated portion of said one face of said sheet metal blank into engagement with said elongated surface on said first said forming member to form said offset portion at said one edge of said sheet metal blank.

2. In apparatus for forming a collar as claimed in claim 1 wherein the interval along said advancing direction between a point on said other station of said progressive die, which is defined by said first and said second forming members, and a corresponding point on said one station of said progressive die, which is defined by said punch and die, is an integral multiple of the sum of the length of said sheet metal blank and the length of said connecting portion, and wherein said elongated surface of said first said forming member and said elongated surface of said second forming member are essentially obstruction-free to enable said elongated surfaces to coact to form said offset portions on sheet metal blanks which have lengths in said advancing direction that are equal to or less than the length of said elongated surface of said first said forming member.

3. In apparatus, for forming a collar from a strip of sheet metal which is short in one direction and which is long in a second, orthogonal direction and which is progressively advanced in step-by-step fashion through said apparatus in an advancing direction substantially parallel to said second direction, a punch and die that serve as one station of a progressive die and that can form a slot in said strip of sheet metal in a slotting direction which is generally parallel to said one direction to help define a sheet metal blank and to help define a connecting portion which spaces said sheet metal blank a predetermined distance away from said strip of sheet metal while maintaining said sheet metal blank as an integral, contiguous part of said strip of sheet metal, a generally-cylindrical support which is spaced beyond said punch and die in said advancing direction and which is stationary throughout the entire time said sheet metal blank is being given a collar-like configuration by said apparatus and which can have the central portion of said sheet metal blank disposed against a portion of the surface thereof after said punch and die have formed said slot in said strip of sheet metal, to help define said sheet metal blank and to help define said connecting portion, and while said connecting portion is still intact, movable blocks that are spaced beyond said punch and die in said advancing direction and that have concave semi-cylindrical faces in register with opposite sides of said generallycylindrical support, means to move said concave semi-cylindrical faces of said movable blocks toward and away from said generally-cylindrical support, said generallycylindrical support and said movable blocks serving as another station of said progressive die, a further station of said progressive die which is intermediate said one station of said progressive die and said other station of said progressive die and which helps give said sheet metal blank said collar-like configuration, said connecting portion holding said sheet metal blank in precisely-spaced relation to a given point on said strip of sheet metal as said sheet metal blank is successively moved into said further station of said progressive die, is worked upon in said further station of said progressive die, and is moved into said other station of said progressive die, said concave semi-cylindrical faces of said movable blocks substantially simultaneously engaging the side edges of said sheet metal blank and thereby moving said side edges of said sheet metal blank toward a second portion of the surface of said generally-cylindrical support which is at that side of said generally-cylindrical support which is generallydiametrically opposite to the first said portion of the surface of said generally-cylindrical support, said side edges of said sheet metal blank approaching each other to convert said sheet metal blank into a cylindrical collar as said semi-cylindrical faces of said movable blocks move said side edges of said sheet metal blank toward said second portion of said generally-cylindrical support, said concave semi-cylindrical faces of said movable blocks automatically bending said side edges of said sheet metal blank toward each other and toward said second portion of said generallycylindrical support as said movable blocks move toward said opposite sides of said generally-cylindrical support, the interval between a point on said other station of said progressive die, which is defined by said generally-cylindrical support and said movable blocks, and a corresponding point on said one station of said progressive die, which is defined by said punch and die, being selectively adjustable to enable said apparatus to form and act upon sheet metal blanks which have different predetermined lengths in said advancing direction, said movable blocks having confronting faces that are essentially obstruction-free to enable said confronting faces to coact with said generally-cylindrical support to form collars from sheet metal blanks which have said different predetermined lengths in said advancing direction without any need of changing or replacing said movable blocks or said generallycylindrical support.

4. In apparatus for forming a collar as claimed in claim 3 wherein said generally-cylindrical support has a plurality of grooves in the periphery thereof, wherein ejection pins are movable through said grooves to eject a collar that has one of said different lengths and that is formed on said generally-cylindrical support, wherein levers control the movement of said ejection pins through said grooves, wherein pins carried by said movable blocks move said levers and thereby move said ejection pins, wherein said movable blocks and said pins and said levers hold said ejection pins out of collar-ejecting position whenever said concave semicylindrical faces of said movable blocks are immediately adjacent said generally-cylindrical support, and wherein said movable blocks and said pins and said levers move said ejection pins through said grooves to eject a collar that has said one of said different lengths from said generally-cylindrical support as said movable blocks move said concave semi-cylindrical faces thereof away from said generally-cylindrical support.

5. In apparatus for forming a collar as claimed in claim 3 wherein said connecting portion holds said sheet metal blank as part of said strip of sheet metal until said central portion of said sheet metal blank is disposed in register with the first said portion of the surface of said generally-cylindrical support, and wherein a cut-off blade is movable radially inwardly relative to the periphery of said stationary generallycylindrical support to sever said connection portion, said cut-off blade being movable independently of said movable blocks and acting to sever said connecting portion before said side edges of said sheet metal blank are bent inwardly into engagement with said second portion of said surface of said generally-cylindrical support by said concave semi-cylindrical faces of said movable blocks.

6. In apparatus for forming a collar from a strip of sheet metal which is short in one direction and which is long in a second, orthogonal direction and which is progressively advanced in step-by-step fashion through said apparatus in an advancing direction substantially parallel to said second direction, a punch and die that serve as one station of a progressive die and that can form a slot in said strip of sheet metal in a slotting direction which is generally parallel to said one direction to help define one end of a sheet metal blank and to help definea connecting portion which spaces said one end of said sheet metal blank a predetermined distance away from said strip of metal while maintaining said sheet metal blank as an integral, contiguous part of said strip of sheet metal, a second punch and die that serve as another station of said progressive die and that can bend said one side edge and the opposite side edge of said sheet metal blank to give said side edges generally-cylindrical configurations while holding plane an intermediate area of said sheet metal blank which is several times as wide as said connecting portion, and a fourth punch and die which serve as a still further station of said progressive die and which include a generally-cylindrical support that is spaced beyond said punch and die in said advancing direction and which is stationary throughout the entire time said sheet metal blank is being given a collar-like configuration by said apparatus .and which can give the rest of said sheet metal blank, including said plane intermediate area, a cylindrical configuration and which can dispose said opposite side edge of said sheet metal blank in engagement with the inner surface of said offset at said one side edge of said blank, said first said station and said other station having an interval between corresponding points thereon which enables said connecting portion to hold said sheet metal blank in assembled relation with said strip of sheet metal but with said one end of said sheet metal blank spaced said predetermined distance away from said strip of sheet metal as said sheet metal blank is advanced in said advancing direction from said one station to said other station, said other station and said further station having another interval between corresponding points thereon which enables said connecting portion to hold said sheet metal blank in assembled relation with the nextsucceeding sheet metal blank but with said one end of said sheet metal blank spaced said predetermined distance away from said next-succeeding sheet metal blank as said sheet metal blank is advanced in said advancing direction from said other station to said further station, the first said interval being an integral multiple of the sum of the length of said sheet metal blank and the length of said connecting portion, and said other interval being an integral multiple of the sum of the length of said sheet metal blank and the length of said connecting portion.

7. In apparatus for forming a collar as claimed in claim 6 wherein said first said interval between said one station which is defined in part by the first said die and said other station which is defined in part by said second die and said other interval between said other station which is defined in part by said second die and said further station which is defined in part by said third die can be adjusted to change the length of the collar formed from said sheet metal blank, and wherein said change in the lengths of the collar formed from said sheet metal blank does not require any changing or replaciing of any of said first and second punches and dies.

8. In apparatus for forming a collar as claimed in claim 6 wherein said four dies can be used with said first, second and fourth punches and with a third punch of different length to form collars of different lengths.

9. In apparatus for forming a collar, which comprises a generally-cylindrical support that has a diameter essentially equal to the inner diameter of said collar to be made by said apparatus, axially-extending grooves in the surface of said generally-cylindrical support, ejection pins movable through said axially-extending grooves to eject a collar formed on said generallycylindrical support, movable blocks with concave faces that are in register with said generally-cylindrical support and that are movable away from said generally-cylindrical support to permit a sheet metal blank to be disposed in engagement with said generallycylindrical support and that are then movable toward said generally-cylindrical support to bend said sheet metal blank into cylindrical configuration around said generally-cylindrical support, levers which respond to movement of said movable blocks to move said ejection pins relative to said grooves, said levers responding to movement of said movable blocks toward said generally-cylindrical support to move said ejection pins out of collar-ejecting positionbut responding to movement of said movable blocks away from said generally-cylindrical support to move said ejection pins through said grooves to eject a collar formed on said generally-cylindrical support, and means to move said movable blocks away from and toward said generally-cylindrical support and also simultaneously move said ejection pins into, and out of, collar-ejecting position, respectively.

10. In apparatus for forming a collar as claimed in claim 6 wherein the first said punch and die or said second punch and die are shiftable parallel to said second direction to change said interval between said corresponding points on said other station and on said one station of said progressive die and thereby change the length of said collar while continuing to permit said connecting portion to hold said sheet metal blank in assembled relation with said strip of metal but with said one end of said sheet metal blank spaced said predetermined distance away from said strip of metal as said sheet metal blank is advanced in said advancing direction from said one station to said other station.

11. In apparatus for forming a collar, a generallycylindrical support, axially-directed grooves in the surface of said support, ejection pins which are movable through said grooves to eject from said generallycylindrical support a collar formed on said generallycylindrical support, means to move said ejection pins relative to said grooves from a retracted position to an ejecting position and vice versa, pressure members that can be moved towards said generally-cylindrical support to force a sheet metal split-annulus into intimate engagement with said generally-cylindrical support and to hold said sheet metal split-annulus in intimate engagement with said generally-cylindrical support and thereby size said sheet metal split-annulus while adjacent edges of said sheet metal split-annulus are welded, said pressure members being movable away from said generally-cylindrical support to move away from said sheet metal split-annulus after the edges thereof have been welded, means to move said pressure members toward and away from said generally-cylindrical support, a welding electrode that is movable toward said generally-cylindrical support to move into engagement with a sheet metal split-annulus on 

1. In apparatus, for forming a collar from a strip of sheet metal which is short in one direction and which is long in a second, orthogonal direction and which is progressively advanced in step-by-step fashion through said apparatus in an advancing direction substantially parallel to said second direction, a punch and die that serve as one station of a progressive die and that can form a slot in said strip of sheet metal in a slotting direction which is generally parallel to said one direction to help define a sheet metal blank and a connecting portion which maintains said sheet metal blank as an integral, contiguous part of said strip of sheet metal, a forming member which is spaced beyond said punch and die in said advancing direction and which has a surface that can engage and provide support for a portion of one face of said sheet metal blank after said punch and die have formed said slot in said strip of sheet metal to help define said sheet metal blank and said connecting portion, said forming member having an elongated surface that is both transversely and laterally displaced from, but that extends generally parallel to, the first said surface and that can force an elongated portion of said one face of said sheet metal blank to be offset from the rest of said one face of said sheet metal blank, said elongated surface on said forming member being adapted to receive one edge of said sheet metal blank so said offset portion of said sheet metal blank will be adjacent said one edge of said sheet metal blank, a second forming member which is spaced beyond said punch and die in said advancing direction and which is in register with the first said forming member and which has a surface that is complementary to said first said surface on said first said forming member and which has an elongated surface that is complementary to said elongated surface on said first said forming member, and guiding elements which confine and guide said forming members for movement toward and away from each other at right angles to the first said surfaces on said forming members and substantially at right angles to said advancing direction, said first said and said second forming members serving as another station for said progressive die, said second forming member having the first said surface and said elongated surface thereof movable into engagement with the opposite face of said sheet metal blank while said connecting portion is maintaining said sheet metal blank as an integral, contiguous part of said strip of sheet metal to force the first said portion of said one face of said sheet metal blank into engagement with said first said surface on said first said forming member and to force said elongated portion of said one face of said sheet metal blank into engagement with said elongated surface on said first said forming member to form said offset portion at said one edge of said sheet metal blank.
 2. In apparatus for forming a collar as claimed in claim 1 wherein the interval along said advancing direction between a point on said other station of said progressive die, which is defined by said first and said second forming members, and a corresponding point on said one station of said progressive die, which is defined by said punch and die, is an integral multiple of the sum of the length of said sheet metal blank and the length of said connecting portion, and wherein said elongated surface of said first said forming member and said elongated surface of said second forming member are essentially obstruction-free to enable said elongated surfaces to coact to form said offset portions on sheet metal blanks which have lengths in said advancing direction that are equal to or less than the length of said elongated surface of said first said forming member.
 3. In apparatus, for forming a collar from a strip of sheet metal which is short in one direction and which is long in a second, orthogonal direction and which is progressively advanced in step-by-step fashion through said appAratus in an advancing direction substantially parallel to said second direction, a punch and die that serve as one station of a progressive die and that can form a slot in said strip of sheet metal in a slotting direction which is generally parallel to said one direction to help define a sheet metal blank and to help define a connecting portion which spaces said sheet metal blank a predetermined distance away from said strip of sheet metal while maintaining said sheet metal blank as an integral, contiguous part of said strip of sheet metal, a generally-cylindrical support which is spaced beyond said punch and die in said advancing direction and which is stationary throughout the entire time said sheet metal blank is being given a collar-like configuration by said apparatus and which can have the central portion of said sheet metal blank disposed against a portion of the surface thereof after said punch and die have formed said slot in said strip of sheet metal, to help define said sheet metal blank and to help define said connecting portion, and while said connecting portion is still intact, movable blocks that are spaced beyond said punch and die in said advancing direction and that have concave semi-cylindrical faces in register with opposite sides of said generally-cylindrical support, means to move said concave semi-cylindrical faces of said movable blocks toward and away from said generally-cylindrical support, said generally-cylindrical support and said movable blocks serving as another station of said progressive die, a further station of said progressive die which is intermediate said one station of said progressive die and said other station of said progressive die and which helps give said sheet metal blank said collar-like configuration, said connecting portion holding said sheet metal blank in precisely-spaced relation to a given point on said strip of sheet metal as said sheet metal blank is successively moved into said further station of said progressive die, is worked upon in said further station of said progressive die, and is moved into said other station of said progressive die, said concave semi-cylindrical faces of said movable blocks substantially simultaneously engaging the side edges of said sheet metal blank and thereby moving said side edges of said sheet metal blank toward a second portion of the surface of said generally-cylindrical support which is at that side of said generally-cylindrical support which is generally-diametrically opposite to the first said portion of the surface of said generally-cylindrical support, said side edges of said sheet metal blank approaching each other to convert said sheet metal blank into a cylindrical collar as said semi-cylindrical faces of said movable blocks move said side edges of said sheet metal blank toward said second portion of said generally-cylindrical support, said concave semi-cylindrical faces of said movable blocks automatically bending said side edges of said sheet metal blank toward each other and toward said second portion of said generally-cylindrical support as said movable blocks move toward said opposite sides of said generally-cylindrical support, the interval between a point on said other station of said progressive die, which is defined by said generally-cylindrical support and said movable blocks, and a corresponding point on said one station of said progressive die, which is defined by said punch and die, being selectively adjustable to enable said apparatus to form and act upon sheet metal blanks which have different predetermined lengths in said advancing direction, said movable blocks having confronting faces that are essentially obstruction-free to enable said confronting faces to coact with said generally-cylindrical support to form collars from sheet metal blanks which have said different predetermined lengths in said advancing direction without any need of changing or replacing said movable blocks or said generally-cylindrical support.
 4. In apparatus for forming a collar as claimed in claim 3 wherein said generally-cylindrical support has a plurality of grooves in the periphery thereof, wherein ejection pins are movable through said grooves to eject a collar that has one of said different lengths and that is formed on said generally-cylindrical support, wherein levers control the movement of said ejection pins through said grooves, wherein pins carried by said movable blocks move said levers and thereby move said ejection pins, wherein said movable blocks and said pins and said levers hold said ejection pins out of collar-ejecting position whenever said concave semi-cylindrical faces of said movable blocks are immediately adjacent said generally-cylindrical support, and wherein said movable blocks and said pins and said levers move said ejection pins through said grooves to eject a collar that has said one of said different lengths from said generally-cylindrical support as said movable blocks move said concave semi-cylindrical faces thereof away from said generally-cylindrical support.
 5. In apparatus for forming a collar as claimed in claim 3 wherein said connecting portion holds said sheet metal blank as part of said strip of sheet metal until said central portion of said sheet metal blank is disposed in register with the first said portion of the surface of said generally-cylindrical support, and wherein a cut-off blade is movable radially inwardly relative to the periphery of said stationary generally-cylindrical support to sever said connection portion, said cut-off blade being movable independently of said movable blocks and acting to sever said connecting portion before said side edges of said sheet metal blank are bent inwardly into engagement with said second portion of said surface of said generally-cylindrical support by said concave semi-cylindrical faces of said movable blocks.
 6. In apparatus for forming a collar from a strip of sheet metal which is short in one direction and which is long in a second, orthogonal direction and which is progressively advanced in step-by-step fashion through said apparatus in an advancing direction substantially parallel to said second direction, a punch and die that serve as one station of a progressive die and that can form a slot in said strip of sheet metal in a slotting direction which is generally parallel to said one direction to help define one end of a sheet metal blank and to help define a connecting portion which spaces said one end of said sheet metal blank a predetermined distance away from said strip of metal while maintaining said sheet metal blank as an integral, contiguous part of said strip of sheet metal, a second punch and die that serve as another station of said progressive die and that can bend said one side edge and the opposite side edge of said sheet metal blank to give said side edges generally-cylindrical configurations while holding plane an intermediate area of said sheet metal blank which is several times as wide as said connecting portion, and a fourth punch and die which serve as a still further station of said progressive die and which include a generally-cylindrical support that is spaced beyond said punch and die in said advancing direction and which is stationary throughout the entire time said sheet metal blank is being given a collar-like configuration by said apparatus and which can give the rest of said sheet metal blank, including said plane intermediate area, a cylindrical configuration and which can dispose said opposite side edge of said sheet metal blank in engagement with the inner surface of said offset at said one side edge of said blank, said first said station and said other station having an interval between corresponding points thereon which enables said connecting portion to hold said sheet metal blank in assembled relation with said strip of sheet metal but with said one end of said sheet metal blank spaced said predetermined distance away from said strip of sheet metal as said sheet metal blank is advanced in said advancing direction from saId one station to said other station, said other station and said further station having another interval between corresponding points thereon which enables said connecting portion to hold said sheet metal blank in assembled relation with the next-succeeding sheet metal blank but with said one end of said sheet metal blank spaced said predetermined distance away from said next-succeeding sheet metal blank as said sheet metal blank is advanced in said advancing direction from said other station to said further station, the first said interval being an integral multiple of the sum of the length of said sheet metal blank and the length of said connecting portion, and said other interval being an integral multiple of the sum of the length of said sheet metal blank and the length of said connecting portion.
 7. In apparatus for forming a collar as claimed in claim 6 wherein said first said interval between said one station which is defined in part by the first said die and said other station which is defined in part by said second die and said other interval between said other station which is defined in part by said second die and said further station which is defined in part by said third die can be adjusted to change the length of the collar formed from said sheet metal blank, and wherein said change in the lengths of the collar formed from said sheet metal blank does not require any changing or replaciing of any of said first and second punches and dies.
 8. In apparatus for forming a collar as claimed in claim 6 wherein said four dies can be used with said first, second and fourth punches and with a third punch of different length to form collars of different lengths.
 9. In apparatus for forming a collar, which comprises a generally-cylindrical support that has a diameter essentially equal to the inner diameter of said collar to be made by said apparatus, axially-extending grooves in the surface of said generally-cylindrical support, ejection pins movable through said axially-extending grooves to eject a collar formed on said generally-cylindrical support, movable blocks with concave faces that are in register with said generally-cylindrical support and that are movable away from said generally-cylindrical support to permit a sheet metal blank to be disposed in engagement with said generally-cylindrical support and that are then movable toward said generally-cylindrical support to bend said sheet metal blank into cylindrical configuration around said generally-cylindrical support, levers which respond to movement of said movable blocks to move said ejection pins relative to said grooves, said levers responding to movement of said movable blocks toward said generally-cylindrical support to move said ejection pins out of collar-ejecting position but responding to movement of said movable blocks away from said generally-cylindrical support to move said ejection pins through said grooves to eject a collar formed on said generally-cylindrical support, and means to move said movable blocks away from and toward said generally-cylindrical support and also simultaneously move said ejection pins into, and out of, collar-ejecting position, respectively.
 10. In apparatus for forming a collar as claimed in claim 6 wherein the first said punch and die or said second punch and die are shiftable parallel to said second direction to change said interval between said corresponding points on said other station and on said one station of said progressive die and thereby change the length of said collar while continuing to permit said connecting portion to hold said sheet metal blank in assembled relation with said strip of metal but with said one end of said sheet metal blank spaced said predetermined distance away from said strip of metal as said sheet metal blank is advanced in said advancing direction from said one station to said other station.
 11. In apparatus for forming a collar, a generally-cylindrical support, axially-directed grooves in the surface of saId support, ejection pins which are movable through said grooves to eject from said generally-cylindrical support a collar formed on said generally-cylindrical support, means to move said ejection pins relative to said grooves from a retracted position to an ejecting position and vice versa, pressure members that can be moved towards said generally-cylindrical support to force a sheet metal split-annulus into intimate engagement with said generally-cylindrical support and to hold said sheet metal split-annulus in intimate engagement with said generally-cylindrical support and thereby ''''size'''' said sheet metal split-annulus while adjacent edges of said sheet metal split-annulus are welded, said pressure members being movable away from said generally-cylindrical support to move away from said sheet metal split-annulus after the edges thereof have been welded, means to move said pressure members toward and away from said generally-cylindrical support, a welding electrode that is movable toward said generally-cylindrical support to move into engagement with a sheet metal split-annulus on said generally-cylindrical support, said welding electrode being connectable to one output terminal of a source of welding current, said generally-cylindrical support being made of highly conductive metal and being connected to the other output terminal of said source of welding current, said welding electrode and said generally-cylindrical support directly engaging, and directly supplying current to, said sheet metal split-annulus and responding to current from said source of welding current to weld the edges of said sheet metal split-annulus together, said welding electrode thereafter being movable away from said generally-cylindrical support and away from said welded sheet metal annulus, and means to move said welding electrode toward and away from said generally-cylindrical support.
 12. In apparatus for forming a collar, from a sheet metal blank, a forming member which has a surface that can receive and provide support for a portion of one face of said sheet metal blank and which has elongated surfaces extending along both side edges of the first said surface, said elongated surfaces being generally cylindrical, a second forming member which has a surface that is complementary to the first said surface on the first said forming member and which has elongated surfaces extending along both side edges of the first said surface thereon, said elongated surfaces on said second forming member being generally cylindrical and being complementary to said generally-cylindrical elongated surfaces on said first said forming member, said generally-cylindrical elongated surfaces on said first said forming member and on said second forming member coacting to bend the sides of said sheet metal blank until said sides have generally-cylindrical configurations, an orientation-sensing projection on one of said forming members, a recess in the other of said forming members that is dimensioned to accommodate said orientation-sensing projection, and a portion of said sheet metal blank which accommodates said orientation-sensing projection on said one forming member, said orientation-sensing projection on said one forming member being dimensioned to approach and sense the position of said portion of said sheet metal blank before said elongated surfaces on said first said forming member and on said second forming member can bend the sides of said sheet metal blank.
 13. In apparatus for forming a collar, a generally-cylindrical support, a notch in the periphery of said generally-cylindrical support, a punch that is mounted in register with and that is movable into and out of said notch in the periphery of said generally-cylindrical support, said notch in the periphery of said generally-cylindrical support extending to one face of said generally-cylindrical support, a second generally-cylindrical support rotatably mounted adjacent said one face of the first said generally-cylindrical support and adApted to serve as an extension of said first said generally-cylindrical support and thereby enable said first said generally-cylindrical support to support one end of a sheet metal collar, and a notch in the periphery of said second generally-cylindrical support which is as large as said notch in the periphery of said first said generally-cylindrical support, said notch in the periphery of said second generally-cylindrical support extending along the length of said periphery of said second generally-cylindrical support, said second generally-cylindrical support being rotatable relative to said first said generally-cylindrical support to dispose an un-notched portion of said periphery of said second generally-cylindrical support adjacent said notch in the periphery of said first said generally-cylindrical support and thereby enable said notch in the periphery of said first said generally-cylindrical support to act as an enclosed die-like recess for said punch, whereby said punch can coact with said notch in the periphery of said first said generally-cylindrical support to punch an ear out of the wall of said sheet metal collar, said second generally-cylindrical support thereafter being rotatable relative to said first said generally-cylindrical support to dispose said notch in the periphery of said second generally-cylindrical support in register with said notch in the periphery of said first said generally-cylindrical support to enable said notch in the periphery of said second generally-cylindrical support to act as an extension of said notch in the periphery of said first said generally-cylindrical support and thereby enable said ear on said collar to be moved out of said notch in the periphery of said first said generally-cylindrical support.
 14. In apparatus for forming a collar as claimed in claim 1 wherein the interval along said advancing direction between a point on said other station of said progressive die, which is defined by said first and said second forming members, and a corresponding point on said one station of said progressive die, which is defined by said punch and die, is adjustable to enable said apparatus to form and act upon sheet metal blanks which have different predetermined lengths in said advancing direction, and wherein said elongated surface of said first said forming member and said elongated surface of said second forming member are essentially obstruction-free to enable said elongated surfaces to coact to form said offset portions on sheet metal blanks which have said different predetermined lengths in said advancing direction.
 15. In apparatus for forming a collar as claimed in claim 1 wherein the interval along said advancing direction between a point on said other station of said progressive die, which is defined by said first and said second forming members, and a corresponding point on said one station of said progressive die, which is defined by said punch and die, is adjustable to enable said apparatus to form and act upon sheet metal blanks which have different predetermined lengths in said advancing direction, wherein said elongated surface of said first said forming member and said elongated surface of said second forming member are essentially obstruction-free to enable said elongated surfaces to coact to form said offset portions on sheet metal blanks which have said different predetermined lengths in said advancing direction, and wherein said first and said second forming members and said punch and die can, without any replacement of any of them and without any change in the size or configuration of any of them, act upon said sheet metal blanks which have different predetermined lengths in said advancing direction. 